Many times in life, and especially in Judaism, we don’t fully understand the reason why we do things or the source behind the origins of our traditions. For instance, how many of us truly understand why it is that on Chanukah we eat jelly doughnuts? And why do we eat mostly dairy foods rather that most of our other holidays when we have more meat?
Regarding jelly doughnuts, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach says that the Gemara in Avot talks about the fact that after the Chashmonaim won the war against the Greeks and returned to the Beit Hamikdash, they saw that the Altar, or Mizbe’ach, was so badly defiled that they had no choice but to bury its stones and rebuild it. Doughnuts, which are a fried food, require that we make a bracha Mezonot on them, and therefore we are required to make an Al Hamichya on them when we are finished. In the Al Hamichya blessing we specifically ask for rachamim “Al Mizbachacha,” or mercy on the Altar. Thus, by eating a fried food we are able to ask Hashem to remember His mercy and help restore the Mizbe’ach to its former glory. As for why we fill them with jelly, well, the Gemara in Sotah says that since the Beit Hamikdash has been destroyed the taste of fruits has never been the same. Since fruits are used to make jelly we remember the fruits offered on the Mizbe’ach by filling our doughnuts with jelly.
As for why we eat dairy on Chanukah, it’s primarily to remember the actions of the great Jewish heroine Yehudit, who got the primary Greek general in charge to grow tired and weary by feeding him dairy foods that made him thirsty, causing him to drink wine and get drunk. Once asleep she proceeded to kill him in his tent. When the Greek soldiers discovered the death of their general they were thrown into a panic and fled. Thus, to best remember her bravery, we eat a larger than normal amount of dairy food on Chanukah.
Continuing in this line of thought, in last week’s parsha of Vayeshev, we find the origins of another Jewish tradition, the eating of the karpas on Pesach. I am sure I am not the only one of us to wonder why it is that during the Seder the first food we actually eat is karpas; why wouldn’t it be matzah, which is so central to Pesach and the Seder?
The answer to this is found in last week’s parsha of Vayeshev, where we read in Pasuk 3 of Perek 37 that Yaakov gives his son Yosef a coat of many colors, a ketonet pasim. Rashi on this pasuk makes the following comment: “Pasim is a term that means fine woolen garment, like ‘green wool, or karpas…” Thus, there is a comparison being made between the ketonet pasim and the karpas (green vegetable). The mefarshim tell us that the selling of Yosef began our exile, which ultimately led to the miracle of the Exodus and being freed from Egypt. The first steps toward the impending exile is the giving of the ketonet pasim to Yosef; thus the story of our Exodus begins with this coat. It’s the preferential treatment given to Yosef by his father that begins the feeling of animosity Yosef’s brothers feel toward him.
Thus, the reason behind our eating of the karpas first at the Seder on Pesach night is because the very first steps in the story of our redemption is the giving of ketonet pasim to Yosef.
What we can learn from this episode is that every action counts. Who knew that the jealousy created by giving his son a special coat would create ripples in the water that would end in the galut of Egypt? Therefore, when presented with a difficult situation in life, we should rise above any negative feeling we may have and instead do acts of chesed, which will tip the scales of heavenly judgment in our favor.
Wishing everyone a great Shabbos and an enjoyable Chanukah.
This dvar Torah was written by Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy freshman Dovid Rozehzadeh of West Orange, New Jersey, who is a member of the RTMA Thunder JV Hockey team, and was originally published in “Torah from the Blue Line,” a weekly Torah publication produced by the school’s hockey teams.
By Dovid Rozehzadeh
